When Joel and I visited Manila in February for my visa application, we took it as a chance to have a vacation. We’ve been to Manila several times but each visit felt shorter than the one before it. So, we decided to have that vacation in Manila — where we would visit all the places we want to visit at our own time. Because it was a vacation, we splurged a little bit with food (which we don’t usually do) and I did some research on where to eat that was walking distance from Casa Bocobo, the hotel we where staying at along Kalaw St. and just across Rizal Park. Advertisements

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One of the reasons why we moved from Patpong area to Chinatown during our stay in Bangkok was to be nearer the Hua Lamphong State Railway station. But another sub-ulterior reason was I wanted to be near a real neighborhood — a place where people gather together at night to talk about their day — and Chinatown (Yaowaraj) was that.

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Eating out in Chiang Mai was easier compared to Bangkok because Chiang Mai was a smaller city. In fact, we just have to walk 10 meters and we could get papaya salad made fresh by our neighbor in his home-turned-restaurant-at-night. Beside his house, another neighbor sells banana and vegetable fritters. In Chiang Mai, you walk just a distance of five meters and another restaurant, diner, or stall selling food will greet you. Here are my top recommendations.

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Sanjercasvil Road, which stands for Sanson, Jereza, Castillo and Villa, is a pocket road in Lahug, Cebu City. Joel, who lived in Apas, a neighbor barangay, used to come here to play and would always relate to me the corn fields in the area. Sanjercasvil Road is a heritage road based on the number of heritage houses dotting the area. This is where the famous Circa 1900 is located.

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I am not a fan of Japanese food — at least the raw ones. I can’t even bear to eat kinilaw or ceviche even if it’s made by my father and from the freshest catch of the day. But there was once a time when all I was craving for were tempura and donburis, and I was on the search for affordable and local eateries. Joed’s was popular in my online search, although I never got to try it until this year. I have no idea how authentic Japanese food tastes like, but I enjoyed the food that I ate at this restaurant — because it was affordable, it was cooked properly, it was beef, and I was hungry.

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Baguio is a very long ride from Manila. And a very long trip coming from Cebu City. But Baguio and the rest of Benguet have been in my thoughts and dreams ever since I was a child and happened to read short stories on the region. I was curious and was just very happy when a group of friends invited my boyfriend and I to go with them to Baguio. In order to cut out expenses we book our flights five months earlier than our time of travel and booked our hotels and accommodations two months before the time of travel. I have to admit that because the trip to Baguio was very long (about six hours aboard the deluxe Victory Liner bus), I slept during most of our DIY tour the day we arrived.

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After visiting Carcar’s town center and Carcar’s now-out-in-the-open secret, we decided to drive a few kilometers further south to the town of Sibonga. I don’t know why we bothered to waste our gas to go to the next town, but our guide said Carcar doesn’t have any decent place to eat. From what I’ve seen passing through the city by bus countless of times, there doesn’t really seem to have any decent place to eat there. Maybe there are still many secrets in Carcar I need to discover.

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We had a team meeting at a mall in Mandaue City. There was a robbery (and death) in the nearby corner, but my boyfriend and I have already agreed to have dinner at another mall that is located across our former office. I’ve heard of District 50 in my Facebook feed from friends, and I thought I should try the restaurant because it looked like the design is “vintage.” Indeed, there were vintage things scattered all over the restaurant, but I also wanted to see waitresses and waiters wearing 50s outfit (there were none). I guess “District 50” did not mean “50s fashion.”

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I heard of Chillage from my Facebook newsfeed. I was smitten with the artsy design of the interiors and the fact that it sells Cebuano- and Philippine-made products (including City of Vintage swimsuits, Leyende products, and Theo Philo artisan chocolates). I love people who showcase our own, so I wanted to be there. Mid-month, my boyfriend and I found ourselves in a very busy SM having sale, and already hungry for dinner. We decided to check Chillage, located at the Adnama Bldg. in the North Reclamation, near the Cebu Doctor’s University.

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The last week of August was probably the week where I ate out the most. Because I am now solely paying my rent and all utilities and food, and other things like service fees for plumber and carpenter, I’ve made resolutions to eat out less so I can scrimp my money to pay what I need. (Okay, I do scrimp money, partly to buy shoes and other cute stuff, and pay for the things I need). But the last week of August was like an indulgence.